The Obama administration saw big wins and some major losses in
the Supreme Court term that concluded Monday. Here is a tally:
WINS
Town of Greece v. Galloway. Public Prayer
Upheld the practice of public prayer before local-government
meetings, rejecting arguments that overwhelmingly Christian
invocations violate the constitutional bar on the establishment of
an official religion. The administration filed a
friend-of-the-court brief supporting invocations before public
meetings.
Environmental Protection Agency v. EME Homer City Generation.
Pollution Regulations
Decided the EPA can reinstate limits on power-plant pollution
that blows across state lines, handing a defeat to electric
utilities that opposed the effort as costly regulatory
overreach.
American Broadcasting Companies v. Aereo. Broadcaster
Copyrights
Ruled Aereo Inc.'s online video system violated broadcaster
copyrights on programming, dealing the startup a crippling blow.
The administration filed a brief in favor of broadcasting companies
that had challenged Aereo.
Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus. Political Speech
Found that two conservative groups can continue their challenge
to an Ohio campaign law making it illegal to lie about political
candidates. The administration filed a brief supporting the First
Amendment challenge against Ohio's law.
Lane v. Franks. Employee Rights
Held that public employees can't be fired for testifying about
corruption they witness in government, reversing a lower court that
held otherwise. The administration filed a court brief supporting
free-speech protections for employee testimony.
LOSSES
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. Contraceptive coverage.
Ruled that "closely held" companies can invoke religious
objections to avoid covering contraception in workers' health
plans, carving out another piece of the Affordable Care Act.
Harris v. Quinn. Union Dues
Found that home-based care workers in Illinois aren't
full-fledged public employees and can't be forced to pay dues to a
union they don't want to join. The administration had argued in a
brief the workers were state employees.
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. Political
Contributions
Struck down aggregate caps on political contributions, the
latest in a string of decisions rolling back campaign-finance
regulations.
Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency.
Pollution Regulations
Found the Obama administration overreached in claiming power to
regulate smaller emitters of greenhouse gases in a ruling that said
the EPA can require greenhouse-gas controls on power plants and
other large stationary sources of pollution.
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning. Presidential
Powers
Ruled President Barack Obama exceeded his authority in making
temporary appointments to the National Labor Relations Board during
a brief Senate break in 2012.
McCullen v. Coakley. Abortion Protests
Invalidated a Massachusetts law that required 35-foot buffer
zones around abortion clinics, ruling the statute went too far in
burdening the free-speech rights of antiabortion activists. The
administration filed briefs backing the buffer zones.
U.S. v. Wurie. Police Search of Cellphones
Held that police must obtain a warrant to search the information
on a suspect's cellphone, broadly protecting privacy rights in the
digital age. The Justice Department had sought broad flexibility
for law enforcement to search devices without a warrant.
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires